CONSTRUCTION OF BOGIBEEL BRIDGE OVER BRAMHAPUTRA RIVER

ABSTRACT

Assam's Bogibeel Bridge, a 4.94-km-long behemoth straddling the Brahmaputra, is a

"lifeline" for the state's denizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after inaugurating it on
December 25.
India's second-longest rail-road bridge will cut travel time, remove communication
bottlenecks to a number of districts in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, and is likely to play
an important role in defence movement along the Indo-China border -- also in Arunachal
Pradesh.
Here's a cheat-sheet on what makes the Bogibeel Bridge, which connects Dibrugarh and
Dhemaji districts, so special.

1.NATIONAL SECURITY
The Bogibeel Bridge will help defence forces and their equipment move quickly, said one
source, who explained that it was built in a way that "even a fighter jet can land on it in case
of emergency". Earlier, a senior army official said travelling to the farthest point of the India-
China border would be shortened "by several hundred kilometres". The bridge will provide
logistical support fro the Indian Army manning the border, said Pranav Jyoti Sharma, chief
public relations officer for the Northeast Frontier Railway.

2.TRAVEL AND ACCESS TO FACILITIES

Train trips from Tinsukia in Assam to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh just got a whole lot
quicker. By ten hours, to be precise. Pranav Jyoti Sharma said the rail travel distance between
Dibrugarh and Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, would be reduced by 705 km.
Taking your car instead? Your Dibrugarh-Itanagar road trip is now 150 km shorter. The
Bogibeel Bridge's opening is great news if you're from Dhemaji -- for Dibrugarh, the third-
largest city in the Northeast, has major hospitals, medical colleges and an airport.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Bogibeel bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra river in
the north eastern Indian state of Assam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh
district, which was started in the year 2002 and took a total of 200 months to
complete, heavy rainfall in the kilometres over the Brahmaputra river. As it is
situated in an earthquake-prone area it is India's first bridge to have fully welded
steel-concrete support beams that can withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to
7 on the Richter Scale. It is Asia’s 2nd longest rail-cum-road bridge and has a
serviceable period of around 120 years. It is the 5th longest bridge in India after
Bhupen Hazarika Setu, Dibang River Bridge, Mahatma Gandhi Setu and
BandraWorli Sea Link. The bridge was constructed by a consortium of
construction companies headed by Hindustan Construction Company.The bridge
has a double rail line on the lower deck and a 2 lane road on the upper deck.
The island of Majuli on the river Brahmaputra has been under constant threat
from floods as well as rising erosion levels. Tension has simmered between
development agencies responsible for flood control and the local people who
have opposed the structural measures. The proposed Bogibeel bridge has evoked
concerns that the conflict will see an escalation.

The mega two-tier Bogibeel bridge is the fourth constructed under the National
Rail Vikas Yojana and also the fourth built on the river Brahmaputra in India.
The bridge is meant to connect Dibrugarh in the south to Lakhimpur in the north;
the rail link will join Chaulkhowa station and SisibargaonSiripani located on the
river’s opposite banks. The construction is completed in 2018. The bridge will
fulfil a long-felt need of the people of Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The
hitch is the Majuli Island, located downstream of the proposed bridge.

Majuli used to be the largest inhabited river island in the world – its area is 875 sq
km and population, 1,60,000. It is located in the mid-reaches of the Brahmaputra
in Assam, about 630 km upstream of the AssamBangladesh border. Majuli is

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located in the broadest part of the Brahmaputra valley, where the river divides the
erstwhile district of Sibsagar and Lakhimpur. The island is tucked into an isolated
block with Mikir hills on one side and Dafla hills on the other; both ranges are not
too far from the river. At a few places the hills actually intrude on the river but for
the most part the Brahmaputra flows between sandy banks that are subject to many
changes in its course.

The embankment on Dibrugrh-Moranhat rail approach is proposed to be constructed

in connection with construction of Bogibeel bridge on the river Brahmaputra. The
approach embankment is passing through Kutuha Beel area having soft clays upto
the depth of 8.20m. The maximum height of proposed embankment in this area is
14.5 m at Ch. 16400. Railway has submitted soil investigation report of borehole
test data for one location. The present report for Ch. 16400 has been prepared on the
basis of maximum height of bank. Based on available shear strength parameters,
slope stability has been designed. Bank construction in stages along with blanket at
top, keeping in view the existence of soft soil is recommended.

1.1 BOGIBEEL BRIDGE ON BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER

The Bogibeel bridge which will be the longest rail cum road bridge of the
country with a total length 4.95km. It is going to constructed over Brahmaputra
river near Dibrugarh. Brahmaputra river is around 10 kmwide but it is very
typical to construct 10 km wide bridge so many model studies were done to
reduce thelength of the bridge.Result of model studies to reduce the length.

 Khadir Width :10 Km

 Design Discharge :73000 Cumsec

 Lacey’s Width : 1.4 Km

 Proposal before model studiesBridge 2 x 32.6 + 56 x 125 m= 7062.5 m

with guide bunds on both endsProposal after model studiesBridge 2 x
32.6 + 34 x 125 m= 4315.2 m with longer guide bunds on both
ends.Different parts of bridge.

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CHAPTER 2
HISTORY
The Bogibeel bridge traces its origins to the Assam Accord of 1985 and was one of
several major infrastructural projects to be set up in Assam in accordance with the
pact. It was sanctioned by the Government of India in 1997-98 and was expected to
be completed by the end of the Ninth Five Year Plan. The foundation of the bridge
was laid in January 1997 by Prime Minister H.D.Deva Gowda, but its construction
was inaugurated only in 2002 by Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee. The project was
the Union Ministry of Finance funded 75% of the project costs while the Ministry
of Railways financed the rest. The actual work on the project only began in 2011. In
April 2008, the Northeast Frontier Railway contracted Gammon India to construct
the sub-structure of the bridge while a consortium of Hindustan Construction
Company, DSD Brückenbau GmbH, Germany and VNR Infrastructures won the bid
to build the superstructure.
The bridge witnessed huge time and cost overturns over time. The cost, initially
estimated at 1,767 crore, escalated to 4996 crore by 2014. According to a press
release by the Indian Ministry of Railway on 25 july 2014, in the main bridge ,36
out of 42 well foundations and 28 out of 40 piers had been completed ,while 2 out
of 41 grides had been launched. An expenditure of 3041 crore was incurred on the
project till March 2014, and further outlay of 600 crore was sanctioned for the
year 2014-15.
On 2 December 2018, the bridge opened as the first freight train crossed it. On 25
December, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bogibeel
bridge, on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and
also flag off an intercity express connecting Tinsukia and Naharlagun. The overall
cost of the project ultimately escalated to ₹5,960 crore (US$830 million). The total
length of the bridge also increased from 4.31 kilometres (2.68 mi) to 4.94
kilometres (3.07 mi).
Students and Patients have to cross the river on boat to come to Dibrugarh, Which
houses thwe famed Dibrugarh university and assam medical college, besides a
dozen other such centres. Sharma informed that 30lakh bags of cement, 90250m
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reinforcement steel and 2800m structural steel were used for construction of the
mammoth structure .For the superstructure of the main bridge ,77000m of steel
fabrication was required, he said. Serviceable life of 120 years.
Bogibeel, Asia’s second longest rail-cum-road bridge that will be opened to traffic
by Prime Minister Narendra on Tuesday, has serviceable period of around 120 years
the 4.9km long bogibeel bridge on the bramhaputra river is India’s only fully
welded bridge for which European codes and welding standards were adhered to for
the first time in the country, said chief engg. Mohinder singh. Singh said a fully
welded bridge has a low maintenance cost. The bridge constructed at an estimated
cost of Rs 5900 cr. Has a “serviceable period of around 120 years” , he said. The
bridge reduces travelling time from assam to arunachal Pradesh to 4hrs and will
cutout the detour of over 170km via tinsukia. It will also reduce delhi to Dibrugarh
train travel time by 3hrs to 34hrs as against 37 hrs presently. The bridge has a two
line railway track on the lower deck and 3 lane road on the upper deck. For the first
in Indian Railways, the girder has steel floor system for railway tracks and concrete
for road. “early flood in the river bramhaputra restricted the working season to a
very short period of approximately 5 months ( from November to march) and
demanded huge mobilization of construction equipment’s” said singh.
Transportaion of concrete across river channel of 600 meter to 900 meter width
from both the north and south banks was pumped through pipeline laid over the
buoys. “eighty thousand tones of steel plates was delivered for the project via a
combination of railway and road transport, while a 1000 tone hydraulic jack and
strand jack linked with substructure were used for moving steel truss over the
pillars” he said.

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CHAPTER 3
GEOLOGY
The area Dibrugarh-Moranhat lies in the Brahmaputra valley of upper northeast
Assam. The Brahmaputra valley, an alluvial plain, is bounded on all sides, except
from the west side, by hills. It is stretched almost east and the west towards the
lower portions; but at its upper end, it is inclined towards northeast. The
Brahmaputra flows through the middle of this plain and receives in its course the
drainage of the Himalayas on the north and the Assam range on the south.
The most important characteristic of the soil of Assam is its acidity. This soil is
suitable for cultivation of tea. The soil acidity appears to increase with rainfall and
the heaviness of the soil. The soils of the northern bank of Brahmaputra are less
acidic than those of the southern bank.

The soils of the Brahmaputra alluvium are partly new or recent and partly old.
These are sandy loam type. The percentage of organic matter and nitrogen are fairly
satisfactory in such type of soils. The geological nature of the detritus brought down
by Brahmaputra is quite different from that deposited by the rivers flowing down
the foothills. A number of different types of alluvia are recognisable in this valley.
The soils, which owe their origin mainly to Brahmaputra river, are usually very
sandy and poor in plant nutrients, the sub soil being even more sandy and often
insufficiently acidic.

3.1 LOCATION
The Bogibeel bridge, situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh and Dhemaji, spans
the Brahmaputra river and will connect the town of Dibrugarh in the south to
Dhemaji to the river's north. The bridge is located just over 20 km away from the
Assam- Arunachal Pradesh border and acts as an alternative to the Kolia Bhomora
Setu, Tezpur in providing connectivity to nearly five million people Location
residing in Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.Bogibeel bridge is the longest rail-
cumroad bridge of India on the Brahmaputra river in Assam. Due to its location, the
bridge is of strategic importance to India as it will significantly enhance India's
ability to transport troops and supplies to its border with Tibet in Arunachal

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Pradesh.Being located in an area of intense rainfall, construction had been

significantly slowed down by the fact that construction largely took place only
during a period of four dry months between November and March.

Fig 3.1 Bogibeel Bridge

Fig 3.2 Map of the Bridge

Coordinates

27°24031″N

94°45′37″E

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CHAPTER 4

TECHNICAL DETAILS

 Carries : Motor vehicles (two road lanes), Railway (two rail tracks)

 Crosses :Brahmaputra River

 Locale: Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district, Assam, India

 Design: Truss bridge

 Material : Steel, Concrete

 Total length :4.94 kilometres (3.07 mi)

 Longest span: 125 m (410 ft)

 No. of spans :39

 Bogibeel Main Bridge(With Double Line)-

 Span- 2 X 32.7m + 39 X 125m (4.94 km)

 Sub Structure- Double – D well foundation

 Super Structure- Composite welded steel truss Girders

 Guide Bunds- North 2792m long And South 2043m long- To constrict
river width of 10.3km to 4.94km
 Raising And Strengthening of North And South Dykes for 9km on
upstream and 7km Downstream
 Rail Link on South/North Bank – 74km 
 NH- Road links- 29.455 km on north And south bank including 4.9km on main
bridge.
The design of Bogibeel bridge has 39 spans of 125 m and a superstructure of composite
welded steel truss and reinforced concrete. It is designed to carry a double line 1,676 mm (5
ft 6 in) broad gauge railway on the lower deck and a 2- lane road on the upper deck. With its
proximity to the China border, the bridge also has tremendous significance for India's

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defence and has been built strong enough to support the movement of tanks Structure and
even fighter jet landings. It is the longest combined rail and road bridge in India and second
longest bridge in Assam over the river Brahmaputra after Bhupen Hazarika Setu which is a
road bridge of length 9.15 km.

4.1 COMPOSITE TRUSS BRIDGES:

Composite truss bridges are one of the most efficient and aesthetically attractive design
solutions in bridge engineering. Structural steel and concrete materials are combined in the
most efficient way to highlight the art of structural engineering in bridge design. Composite
action in trusses may be explored in a number of different ways, producing a variety of
design solutions. The most adopted and efficient solution consists in a under slung truss,
where the deck slab acts in composite action with the compression chord. The concept only
holds at positive bending moment sections; at internal supports of continuous girder bridges,
the deck slab is under tension and no composite action can be considered at ULS.However,
double composite action in composite truss bridges may also be adopted at negative bending
moment regions.

A review on new trends was presented by Reis , including double composite action in
continuous trusses with variable depth as adopted for the Nantenbach bridge, triangular
tubular deck bridges as adopted in Switzerland , with very large overhangs up to 6.0 m, and
the Italian hybrid truss with full web systems . Composite box girders may be adopted for
wide decks, up to 30 m or even more, using struts to support the overhangs. These struts may
be arranged in a longitudinal truss, which participates in the overall resistance of the
superstructure . A different concept is proposed in for wide curved decks, by adopting two
main vertical Warren trusses and two inclined trusses to support the overhangs.

The double composite action solution in truss bridges yields in the limit a box girder with a
concrete lower flange, as adopted by the authors for the cable-stayed bridge in Coimbra.
Truss decks with a reinforced concrete slab at the bottom chord level are adopted in rail
bridges mainly to overcome strict vertical clearance requirements over highways. For road-
rail bridge decks, a classical option is a double deck made of two Warren trusses in
composite action with the deck slabs. This was the solution adopted for the Oresund Bridge

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between Denmark and Sweden and it is proposed as Base Case Design for the new crossing
of the Tagus River in Lisbon .

Truss decks with triangular cross-sections may represent the most efficient composite decks,
at least for road and pedestrian bridges where fatigue issues are not so critical. Some issues
may be raised about the redistribution bending moment capacities of these trusses from the
supports to the span sections. The torsion behaviour of the triangular trusses, and
deformability under eccentric traffic loading, are also issues deserving a detailing analysis .

Fig 4.1 Composite Truss Bridge

4.2 Well Foundation :

Well Foundations are a type of deep foundations which are generally provided below the
water level for bridges. These are constructed by sinking Cassions from the surface of either
land or water to some desired depth. Well foundations provide a solid and massive
foundation for heavy loads and are useful in situations where the loads have to be transferred
to a soil stratum deep below.

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TYPES OF WELL FOUNDATION

There are three types of caissons, they are

1. Open caissons.

2. Pneumatic caissons.

3. Box caissons.
SHAPES
There are different shapes of well foundations in cross sectional view. Following are the
different shapes.

1. Circular well

2. Double – D well

3. Double Octagonal well

4. Twin Circular well

Double-D wells:

These wells are usually employed on the piers and abutments of the bridges that are
excessively long to be accommodated on a circular well of 9m diameter. These wells can be
sunk easily. But considerable bending moments are introduced in the steining because of
difference in pressure between outside and inside of the well. Additionally the square corners
at the partition well provide maximum resistance to sinking.

Fig 4.2 Double D well foundation

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CHAPTER 5

CASE STUDY
5.1 Island in the stream
The mega two-tier Bogibeel bridge is the fourth constructed under the National Rail Vikas
Yojana and also the fourth built on the river Brahmaputra in India. The bridge is meant to
connect Dibrugarh in the south to Lakhimpur in the north; the rail link will join Chaulkhowa
station and SisibargaonSiripani located on the river’s opposite banks. The construction is
completed in 2018. The bridge will fulfil a long-felt need of the people of Upper Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh. The hitch is the Majuli Island, located downstream of the proposed
bridge.

Majuli used to be the largest inhabited river island in the world – its area is 875 sq km and
population, 1,60,000. It is located in the mid-reaches of the Brahmaputra in Assam, about
630 km upstream of the AssamBangladesh border. Majuli is located in the broadest part of
the Brahmaputra valley, where the river divides the erstwhile district of Sibsagar and
Lakhimpur. The island is tucked into an isolated block with Mikir hills on one side and Dafla
hills on the other; both ranges are not too far from the river. At a few places the hills actually
intrude on the river but for the most part the Brahmaputra flows between sandy banks that are
subject to many changes in its course .

The physiography of Majuli is characterised by an extremely dynamic flow system;

the ecology is unique and there is a constant threat of flood and erosion. The island
forms a significant part of the vast alluvial flood plain of the Brahmaputra,
dominated by a profusion of depositional land forms including sandbars, bed-forms,
and abandoned channels, not to mention vast lengths of wetland. The danger from
floods and erosion has intensified significantly after the great Assam earthquake of
1950 that measured 8.7 on the Richter scale. It triggered extensive sediment
transport, accelerated the rate of erosion, caused the riverbed to rise and is
responsible for frequent channel changes. The threat from erosion has been
particularly severe in recent times and the size of the island has shrunk from 1,246
sq km in 1950 to 875 sq km at present.

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5.2Turbulent Waters:
Water has always been associated with progress; the world’s greatest civilisations have
sprung up on the banks of rivers. But in this instance life-giving water has CONTENDING
WATER USES Bridge over the Brahmaputra The island of Majuli on the river Brahmaputra
has been under constant threat from floods as well as rising erosion levels. Tension has
simmered between development agencies responsible for flood control and the local people
who have opposed the structural measures. The proposed Bogibeel bridge has evoked
concerns that the conflict will see an escalation. 580 Economic and Political Weekly
February 18, 2006 jeopardised life and development in Majuli, even as the island is vying for
recognition as a world heritage site. Flood management here is carried out entirely by
government agencies. Due to a sustained loss of fertile land to the river, there is a simmering
tension between the local people and these agencies about the merit of the structural
measures taken for erosion control until now. People’s apprehension has been fuelled by
worries over the construction of the Bogibeel bridge less than 100 km upstream. Therefore,
instead of welcoming the bridge as essential infrastructure that will lead to better
connectivity for the people of the island, people are afraid that it will escalate erosion. There
has been growing concern over the lack of special environmental impact assessment
including hydraulic modelling or a sound environmental management plan for mitigating the
adverse impact of the bridge prior to its construction.

The feasibility study carried out by the railways was reportedly restricted to the structural
safety of the bridge and did not cover its impact on the Majuli island or other vulnerable
areas in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts. The Majuli Suraksha Samity, a local NGO,
asserted that the design of the bridge is based on Parkar Stability Analysis; for a stable river
course, this is applicable only in the case of streamlining watercourses within the guarded
reach below the bridge. Pointing to the devastation already caused by erosion the people say
that it was not the forces of nature that were responsible for loss of land mass as much as
erroneous decisions to close natural flood-ways like the Kherkatia Suti and the Tuni river;
construction of multiple dykes; building of roads that crisscross the island with scant regard
for flood water storage etc. There is growing discontent over the indifference of the project
authority with the result that the issue is snowballing into a major conflict involving the entire
population of the island.

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5.3 Question of Compensation :

The conflict over the issue of erosion is at an early stage; there are protests by the local
population and local NGOs like the Majuli Suraksha Parishad. The people have not yet taken
the matter to court, apparently for lack of sufficient outside support and hard scientific
evidence. The government too has not perhaps gauged the gravity of the problem and till now
no attempt has been made to undertake a detailed technical survey either to corroborate or
disprove the stand taken by the people. In a related development villagers were evicted near
the bridge construction site without adequate compensation; this triggered a year long
agitation by the Mishing Students Union. However even that dispute has been dormant due to
the extremely slow pace of construction. Ironically, erosion and floods at the project site
forced railway authorities to halt construction work twice last year.

It appears as if the construction of another rail-cum-road bridge was of more importance to

the government than the people of the island. The state administration did propose to set up a
strategic planning system but no concrete steps have been taken in that direction so far.
Unfortunately, though the issue has been covered in some local and regional language dailies
it has not received the kind of media attention it deserves. Though there is no activism at this
time, things might take an ugly turn in the future. The Majulis are essentially a peace-loving
community and have remained remarkably restrained until now in spite of a lack of political
support.

The problem with the Mishing tribe arose after the railways had completed the rail
approach through a 23.6 km stretch that covered 19 villages in three mouzas. A total
of 19 cases of land acquisition were framed for acquiring about 1300 bighas of land
from these villages. But the Mishing Students Union began their agitation from
February 2002 and the eviction drive has not yet been executed. The railway
authorities had released around Rs 5 crore to district officials to initiate the
compensation procedure. The Assam government fixed the value of land at Rs
70,000 per bigha but there was discrepancy in calculations; the amount fixed for
tribal areas was only Rs 17,000. Also, the terms were not too clear and did not
specify whether compensation would be paid in case of accelerated bank erosion.

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The strong opposition from the All Assam Mishing Students Union (AAMSU),
locally known as Takam Mishing Poring Kebang (TMPK), and the local people
have put a question mark on the timely completion of the Rs 1,700 crore Bogibeel
project. The union insists that it will not stop protesting until its demands are met.
The PWD is yet to survey the Kulajan to Kaba stretch of the land allotted for
construction of a service road connected with the project. The villagers have been
demanding a proper study and the TMPK has submitted a memorandum to the
general manager, Northeast Frontier railways stating that the land belongs to poor
farmers.

This is a project rife with controversies. Not only has there been a lack of a
comprehensive feasibility study on the part of the authorities, but the issue also
involves displacement, loss of land and livelihood; the lack of transparency and
public participation in decision-making has made it a target of wrath.

5.4 Progress vs Traditional Life styles :

If the conflict persists and all the stakeholders maintain their rigid stand, the traditional
Mishing society with its hierarchical social structure and distinct cultural traits will be greatly
affected. The loss of land will not merely destroy a traditional resource base and the economy
of the region, it will also have a severe impact on the social fabric of the community. Land,
kinship, power centres, wealth and religion are all inter-related. Sudden and far-reaching
change in even one of these components will affect the other aspects as well and thereby hurt
the entire culture. Changes like this may lead to stress and adaptation problems for the
people, and eventually sow seeds of discontent. On the other hand, if the idea of the bridge is
abandoned and shifted to another location, the local population will most certainly lose out
on valuable opportunities for economic development.

5.5 Tough Choices:

The vociferous protest by the Majuli Suraksha Samiti against the construction of the
Bogibeel bridge is based on earlier unpleasant experiences when, during and after the
construction of three bridges over the Brahmaputra, there followed an enhanced braiding of
the river course leading to unprecedented floods and erosion in villages located immediately
downstream from the site (Palasbari, Gumi downstream of Saraighat bridge, Morigaon,

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Nagaon region downstream of koliabhomora bridge and dakshin salmara, panchratn

and manacachar areas downstream from naranarayan setu

Protests against structural interventions on the unpredictable Brahmaputra are not new. The
Bogibeel case merely reflects growing doubts about the viability of constructing such bridges
on an already capricious river. The perception is that they cause more harm than good in the
floodplains. Hence public fears over projects like the Tipaimukh, Pagladia and Subansiri
dams.

A new single line between Dibrugarh Town and Moranhat is to be constructed by Northeast
Frontier Railway. The problematic location for construction of new embankment on Kutuha
Beel area for which soil investigation and testing report has been submitted by N.F. Railway
lies in south approach bank of Bogibeel bridge project.
5.6 River Brahmaputra bridge design and construction:
The Bogibeel Bridge is a welded-steel-truss-and-reinforced-concrete structure. It spans 125m
and has strong box-type built-in sections. The bridge is supported on well foundations and 42
piers. The project obtained approval of the federal Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) in September 1997 and construction began in April 2002.

Major earthworks and strengthening of the north and south dykes were completed by June
2011. As of mid-2017, the well foundations and girders were completed. The project requires
about 505ha of land, which was acquired across 19 villages.

5.7 Bogibeel rail link infrastructure:

A new station, New Dibrugarh Rail Station, was constructed at Boiragimoth Kachari village
in Dibrugarh. The station is the biggest in the region.The rail link also has a station at
Chowalkhowa. It is being proposed to connect the Bogibeel rail line to Moranhat railway
station, on the south bank.

5.8 Rail connectivity:

Bogibeel bridge provides a connection between the Rangia-Murkongselek section of the

North East Frontier Railway on the north bank of Brahmaputra and Lumding– Dibrugarh
section that lies to the south of the Brahmaputra.[9] A New Dibrugarh Railway Station,
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expected to be the largest in the region, has been proposed and is to be linked to the Rangia -
Murkongselek line Road connectivity Rail connectivity via Chaulkhowa and Moranhat. The
Railways have initiated the gauge conversion of the Dhamalgaon to Sisiborgaon rail line to
the north of the bridge and commissioned the 44 km Chalkhowa - Moranhat line to the south.

5.8.1 Railway project

Name of Project : Bogibeel bridge with linking lines between Dibrugarh & North
bank (73 Km) 2.2

Implementing Agency : N. F. Railway (Construction Organisation)

Length of the Railway line : 73 Km.

Estimated Cost : `3378.82 Crs. - `3087.44 Crs (Work to be executed by Railway) -

`291.385 Crs. (Work to be executed by PWD/NH, Assam)

Brief description of Project : Rail-cum-Road bridge across river Brahmaputra at

Bogibeel near Dibrugarh along with linking lines between Dibrugarh and North
Bank line.

5.9 Road connectivity:

This rail cum road bridge connects Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district in Assam
through National Highway 15.

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CHAPTER 6

INVESTIGATION
6.1 DETAILS OF INVESTIGATION AND TESTING OF SOIL SAMPLE

Field soil investigation and testing of soil samples were carried out by M/S ANVIL,
Dibrugarh/Guwahati and have been submitted by N.F.Railway. It comprises of both field and
laboratory test as per relevant IS codes of practice. The field investigation consists of one
vertical bore holes up to depth of 10.5 m below the existing ground surface level with
standard penetration test on Kutuha Beel area in connection with Bogibeel bridge project.
Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from the boreholes. Collected soil
samples had been tested by M/S ANVIL. Test results of the soil used in sub-grade,
settlement record & water table are collected from Railway Officials.

6.2 SITE OBSERVATIONS:

RDSO team visited site on 18.07.2007. The embankment Ch. 16300 to Ch.16500
i.e., 200m length is passing through Kutuha beel (pond) area. Maximum height of
bank is 14.5m at ch. 16400. The rain water of the surrounding area is accumulated in
the beel and stagnated throughout the year. During visit, it was observed that about
8.5m high bank has been constructed and was submerged in pond water. The
construction of embankment was started in November, 2005 but discontinued in Feb,
2006 due to settlement of embankment. During construction, bank settled by 3m and
toe heaving was observed as reported by railway officials. Thereafter, between
March, 2006 to July, 2007 i.e., in 17 months period, total 3cm settlement has been
recorded which is almost negligible. Soil used in embankment construction in beel
area is CI & SM type as reported by railway officials. Highest water level recorded
by railways is 101.6m where existing ground level is 93.5m and formation level is
107.3m i.e., about half of the bank will be submerged in service. A minor bridge of
3x12.2m at Ch. 16350 in beel area is under construction. Site photographs showing
status of Earthwork/Bridge construction at problematic location in Kutuha beel area
collected during site visit are given below.

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6.3 SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS:

Slope stability analysis for the location Ch. 16400 has been done. Railway
officials have reported that CI type of soil has been used in subgrade up to the
height of the bank constructed so far. Slope stability analysis has been carried out
assuming the following parameters, suitable for CI type of soil: Effective
Cohesion (C’ ) = 10 kN/ m2 Effective angle of internal friction (φ’) = 250 Pore
pressure ratio (ru) = 0.30 Saturated dry density (γsat) =
20.9 kN/ m3 Height of bank = 14.5m Since the bank is stabilized, hence slope
stability has been carried out assuming the base stabilized. The minimum factor
of safety of embankment for 2(H):1(V) side slope in top 6m and 3(H):1(V) side
slope in 8.5m with intermediate berm of 3m has been worked out as 1.26 which is
greater than 1.2 (the required minimum factor of safety in stage construction).

6.4 DISCUSSION ON CONSOLIDATION SETTLEMENT AND

STAGE CONSTRUCTION METHOD:
Since the undrained shear strength of base soil is initially low, this restricts the
construction of high embankments over soft soil in single stage or at a fast rate
construction. Construction of high embankment over soft soil can be done in single
stage safely only having very flat slopes or with wider berms which is highly
uneconomical with respect to land and earthwork. These problems may be
overcome by method of stage construction with observational method.

Stage construction is employed mainly as a means of gradually increasing strength

of soft clay, which could otherwise be inadequate to carry the intended embankment
load without failure. In stage construction, advantage of increase in shear strength
of sub soil strata due to consolidation by surcharge of embankment loading is taken
into account. At site bank up to 6m from top of formation is already constructed.
Although the constructed bank has already stabilized, but from safety point of view,
it is better to adopt the stage construction method in rest of the construction activity.

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6.4.1 This type of bridge is used for:

 Introduction of welded truss joints

 Use of welded Connections for the main Joints of the Truss

 Slip resistant high strength friction grip bolted connections (HSFG)

 Composite construction in trusses

 Incremental launching of truss girders

 Application of performance concepts for seismic design

6.5 SPECIFICATION FOR EQUIPMENT FOR INSTRUMENTATION

SCHEME:

Sl.no Item description Specification Quantity

01 Surface settlement MS rod 25mm dia with non corrosive 9

points (SSP) and machine finish top, splitted at the
bottom and grouted in cement
concrete (as per RDSO’s drawing no.
GE/SK/GL/0321/REV.0/2003)

02 Leveling instrument Surveying leveling instrument 1

for measuring reduced
levels

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03 Toe Movement Points (TMP) 25 mm dia, 1.30 m long MS bar 8

with machine finish and punch mark
on top, installed in 150 mm dia with
boreholes in cement concrete. The
bars are embedded in concrete about
1.0 m below and 30 cm above the
ground level as per drawing no.
GE/SKP/GL/0322/REV.0/2003)
04 Bench Mark (BM) It consists of outer casing of 100 1
mm dia and inner rod of 25 mm dia
with annular rings at 1.5 m intervals
to keep
it vertical on hard strata.

6.6 INSTALLATION SCHEME OF EQUIPMENTS:

6.6.1 Installation of surface settlement/heave points

Two surface settlement platforms one each on either side of the cross section of bank should
be provided for measuring the heave during the construction (Figure-II/1). 1.2 Material
required for installation should be done as per RDSO drawing. No.
GE/SK/GL/0321/REV.0/2003 (Figure-II/2).

6.6.2 Installation of Toe Movement Points

25 mm dia., 1.30 m long MS rod with finished top and central punch mark at top (Figure-
II/3) are to be installed in 150 mm boreholes in cement concrete about 1.0 m below the
ground level and 30 cm above the ground level, placed at toe and 9 m away from the toe.

6.6.3 Installation of Bench mark

A benchmark has to be installed over hard strata near the instrumentation site to take the
reduced level.

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Notes: -

1. All the above instruments have to be installed as per RDSO approved drawing
and supplier’s specification.

2. Above installation scheme is not exhaustive, manufacturer’s instruction should

be duly incorporated in the installation scheme. Consultancy Report On
Construction Of Embankment On Kutuha Beel Area Of Dibrugarh-Moranhat Rail
Approach ,N.F.Railway

6.7 ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS TO BETAKENIN

CONSTRUCTION OVER COMPRESSIBLE CLAY :

The important precautions to be taken are as under: -

1. During earthwork, contractor shall take all precautions to protect instruments.

2. Work shall be carried out in predetermined stages along with necessary

waiting period, which will have to be closely monitored.

3. The construction of each soil layer should start from edges and finished at the centre.

4. Service roads, trucks/bullock carts plying etc. on both side of instrumented

surface settlement platform and toe movement points should be prohibited.

5. Contractor shall repair and compact properly all the instrumented locations
after completion of study.

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6.8 FREQUENCY OF OBSERVATIONS

In observational method of construction, the embankment is designed with a

marginal factor of safety. The strength is increased with the dissipation of pore
water pressure. Thus, it is necessary to take observations weekly.

6.8 Signifcance of this bridge:

i. Bogibeel rail-cum-road main bridge – Length 4.940 Km (2x32.6m+39 x125m)

ii. Raising & strengthening of north & south dykes for 9 Km on upstream & 7 km on down
stream.

iii. Rail link on south & north banks – 74 Km

NH road link 29.455 Km on north & south banks.

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CHAPTER 7

PLANS

Fig 7.1 Index Plan

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Fig 7.2 Sectional Elevation of Bridge

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Fig 7.3 Cross section of Bridge

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CHAPTER 8

CONCLUSION
“Construction of bogibeel bridge” and it is situated over the Brahmaputra river in the north
eastern Indian state of Assam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district. The bridge is
constructed with steel and concerete.

Its is a type of truss bridge its superstructure is made with composite welded steel truss girder
and sub structure is type of Double D well foundation. The bridge is connecting Dibrugarh in
the south to Lakhimpur in the north; the rail link will join Chaulkhowa station and
SisibargaonSiripani located on the river’s opposite banks. The bridge will fulfil a long-felt
need of the people of Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The hitch is the Majuli Island,
located downstream of the proposed bridge.

 Regional connectivity: The bridge will significantly reduce the journey

from Dibrugarh in Assam to the Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar. It
will benefit tourists, trade goods and those seeking medical treatment.
 Defence: The bridge will facilitate quicker movement of troops and
equipment to areas 1/2 near the India-China border.
 International relations: With increased intra-North-East connectivity
and transnational linkages like trilateral highway connecting Manipur to
Thailand, rail connectivity through Bangladesh between mainland India
and Tripura etc. open up unprecedented economic opportunity in the
region and end its isolation.

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CHAPTER 9

REFRENCES

 "Bogibeel Rail-Cum-Road Bridge Project Targeted for Completion by

March 2018". Government of India. Press Information Bureau. 25
July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
 Construction of well foundation- A mini project by Ravikoti Shankar
Ganesh Kumar Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology
 Government of india ministry of railways Consultancy Report On Construction
Of Embankment On Kutuha Beel Area Of DibrugarhMoranhat Rail Approach Of
Bogibeel Bridge Project.
 Conflicts Of Bramhaputra Economic and Political weekly

 Goswami, D C (2001): ‘Geomorphology of Majuli’ in K C Kalita (ed), Majul, pp 22-35.

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